House Centipede

Subject: What the heck is this? Location: Wisconsin November 20, 2015 2:18 pm I was walking to class at my university and found this bug running around in circles in the basement hallway. I don’t know how it got there, but it’s getting to be winter in Wisconsin so maybe it was there for warmth? I’ve never seen a bug like this before and I can’t find anything on the internet to help me identify it. It’s so weird looking I just have to know. Signature: KVC

House Centipede

Dear KVC, This is a predatory House Centipede. According to BugGuide: “Mostly encountered indoors in damp areas such as bathrooms, cellars, and crawl spaces. It will venture beyond these areas and is often seen quickly scurrying across floors or climbing a wall. Outdoors, they live under logs, rocks, and similar moist protected places. Indoors they are likely to be found at all times of the year provided they have warmth and available prey. In the north they will only be found outside during Summer.” We consider them to be beneficial because they will prey upon cockroaches and other household pests.